Pastors believe their parishioners are more loyal to their political parties than their church, study reveals
Recent research by the Barna Group found that a majority of pastors believe members of their congregation are more loyal to their political parties than their church. Writing for the Christian Post, Ryan Foley provides more details on the study: In September 2022, Barna asked Protestant pastors if they had given “serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year.” Thirty-nine percent answered in the affirmative, a slight decline from the 42% who reported that they were considering leaving full-time ministry in October 2021 and an increase from the 29% who said the same in January 2021. Barna identified “the immense stress of the job” as the leading cause of pastor burnout. Fifty-six percent of pastors who were considering quitting cited stress as a major reason for their discontent. Forty-three percent of pastors thinking of abandoning full-time ministry reported feeling “lonely and isolated” while 38% pointed to “current political divisions” as a factor leading them to consider a career change. Barna asked pastors to elaborate on how “current political divisions” have emerged …